In her address, PhD Ngo Phuong Lan, VFDA Chairwoman said 2025 marked a year of intensive and sustained activity, with the association organizing or co-organizing a continuous series of events at home and abroad, creating a steady and long-term trajectory for film promotion.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong acknowledged VFDA’s role in international engagement, saying the association has served as an effective bridge between state management bodies, local authorities and the filmmaking community, while helping strengthen the professional image of Vietnamese cinema on regional and international platforms.

The year 2025 has been seen as a notable period of transition for Vietnamese cinema, with both the number and quality of films increasing alongside broader participation in international forums.

Domestically, the third Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF III), held from June 29 to July 5, 2025, was organized on an expanded scale and welcomed nearly 200 international guests. Notably, the presence of the UNESCO Director-General at the opening ceremony helped reinforce the festival’s international standing, as DANAFF III was recognized as an official activity marking the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Internationally, Vietnamese cinema continued to appear at major events such as Cannes, Busan and Tokyo through market showcases, project presentations and partner networking activities. For the first time, Vietnam operated an independent promotional booth at TIFFCOM in Tokyo, contributing to wider regional cooperation. Closing the year, the “Vietnamese Cinema – A Journey of Light” film week in Paris emerged as a cultural diplomacy highlight, introducing 17 films to more than 6,000 viewers from 23 countries.

Alongside promotion and networking efforts, VFDA also took part in providing input on several film-related policy and legal issues and organized short-film initiatives for young filmmakers, helping build a pipeline of projects and talent for the next phase.

Looking ahead to 2026, DANAFF IV will be held under the theme “DANAFF – A Bridge from Asia to the World,” positioning the festival as a platform for regional film industry connectivity.

The event is expected to draw around 900 delegates, including more than 200 international guests, and will continue to feature two competitive sections-Asian Films and Vietnamese Films along with a range of professional, training and production-linking activities.

Vietnamese cinema featured at ASEAN+3 Film Festival in Prague

The ASEAN+3 Film Festival opened in Prague on September 3 (local time), bringing together the film industries of ASEAN member states (Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand), alongside China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.